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Abstract
A low-temperature, coal-extraction technique utilizing the solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone has been shown to enhance significantly the rate of gasification of the residual, unextracted portion of the coal as compared to that of the ray coal. Five coal/residue pairs were subjected to gasification in a carbon dioxide atmosphere at temperatures of 1200-1500'K and atmospheric pressure. In all cases, the activation energy (as described by an Arrhenius-type relationship) of the residue was found to be lower than that of the raw coal. In addition, over the temperature range studied, the residues exhibited rate constants as much as four times larger than those for the raw coals. A trend vas found to exist between the extent of extraction and the ratio of the activation energies of the residue and raw coal. It is postulated that this behavior is a manifestation of a complex combination of catalytic and surface area effects. The technique of solvent extraction followed by gasification of the residue may constitute an attractive option for the production of clean fuels from coal.